How They Turned Yael Nonbinary

[@Chelaxim]

I like Yael but excluding Lola,Yael in my opinion had the most insufferable friend circle.If Degrassi comes back I hope that they explore Ace and/or Aro.

[@orangexylem]

Yeah, they all have looked down on her behind her back several times, including Lola.

[@blakebolduc9653]

I hope so

[@stevonniewolf2951]

Yael had the worst friends.

[@NotAVampyre]

Not entirely. They had imperfect friends I'd say because they could be supportive.

[@stevonniewolf2951]

@@NotAVampyre I'm bisexual and bigender.

[@alfjgist]

This is off topic, but I’d like to see you eventually explore the trend of the absent parent in the Degrassi universe, and how it might have affected the children. From the first season of TNG, it seemed that a majority of the kids had grown up in 1 parent families, whether it be by death, divorce, abandonment, or, in Ellie’s case, war. A few of the situations were turned (Spike and Snake, Toby’s dad and Ashley’s mom), but we see many single parent households. It would be interesting to see how that played into some of the characters and their personality. Imogen might be a good one to start with, maybe even Spinner, as he had to become the man of the house at an early age, which we find out when he deals with cancer.

[@NotAVampyre]

For future reference, I delete off topic comments. If you want to ask me something like this in the future, please use Discord or Twitter. That is an interesting topic idea! Unfortunately, I don't feel qualified enough to tackle it. Some effects of single parent households are more evident than others, and the former I could probably confidently comment on, but I'm not versed enough in this area of character psychology to catch the more subtle cases. Maybe I'll do one or two in the future, but I can't really say how likely it is. Sounds like something you're passionate about, so perhaps that'd be a project you're more suited for. You clearly have done a lot of thinking about it, so if you're interested, I'd encourage you to make some videos on it. Let me know if you do!

[@alfjgist]

NotAVampyre I’m so sorry about using the comment for a rant. I’ll go on discord. Does the invite code still exist?

[@NotAVampyre]

Late to respond, but I see you found the invite ^^

[@belowthedot8903]

Spike in DJH also had no father figure. And an interesting thing to note is that in the episode "Dinner and a Show", Spike's mom states "Typical male, wants to get off scot free"...which to me implies that the father abandoned them

[@erinrose7692]

Thank you for talking about Yael; they're one of my favorite Next Class characters and I was happy to see Degrassi follow a nonbinary character's journey

[@jjthepikazard212]

i already liked yael, but my love for them rocketed up once they realized they were non-bianary. it was definitely a step on me realizing i'm non-bianary which is one of the reasons i started being comfortable being enby after repressing it for four years (another important character on that journey was alex fierro from magnus chase). honestly, one of the perks of quarantine is that i don't have to use public restrooms anymore because those make me hella dysphoric. some days i feel more aligned with being a girl, so i want to us the women's restroom, but i don't want to get harassed by transphobes because i was amab. And when i feel more agender, i don't want to go into either gendered restroom & most places don't have gender neutral restrooms. so a lot of times, i ended up not drinking anything all day a school just so i could hold it in. so at least i don't have to deal with that anymore

[@rebeccabarry7872]

As a queer cat-lover, all the cat pictures really made a good video that much better 😹

[@NotAVampyre]

:3 Thanks!

[@flowerangel502]

I really liked Yael’s storyline, they were such an interesting character and I loved when they felt more comfortable as themself. I honestly wished they had more plot lines and tbh had better friends, especially their boyfriend (I could never stand him, at all)

[@uwu1234-i6j]

This is a weird and hard question to ask but, should I stop wearing sports bras if they make me feel less like a woman? Like I'm cis and I find sports bras to be very comfortable to wear, but recently I've been feeling like they've been making me feel like I'm not a woman because of how they make my breast somewhat disappear. Idk, I wanna be more in touch with my feminine side but still be a tomboy and I'm starting to feel like that sports bras are hindering how I feel. And this is really stupid but thoughts like this keep coming to mind considering where I live, but I also feel like people will act like I'm less of a woman or that I'm trying to go against God for wearing clothing that is usually viewed as masculine. Or worse, being treated like shit by my family for how I dress, like this one time I wore a dress because I wanted to and my cousin makes a fucking ignorant comment like, "Wow, you look nice for once. About time." as if she expects me to dress femininely because I'm female. Sorry for the weird long comment, this has just been bothering me lately.

[@NotAVampyre]

Dress in ways that make you comfortable. God made you in His image. Not to adhere to other people's idea of how you as a woman should be. If something doesn't feel right, look into other options. I personally adore sports bras because they don't hide my chest but also don't stab me with wires. But that's just me. How you feel and see yourself is for you to determine. And someone saying you're not as woman for not stictly adhering to stereotypes is like saying the sun isn't still burning bright in the night time. It has no logic or reason to it. God wants us to love, and if your family's love is based on the condition of looking a certain way (especially one that's not for you), then you wouldn't be wrong to distamce yourself from them as they obviously don't really care about how YOU feel. Just what they think you should feel, and that is not loving thy neighbors.

[@getturkeyvirus]

Have you considered sports bras that are constructed more like traditional bras (and come in traditional bra sizes)? VS has some good ones that have cushioned underwires and more padded straps that are super comfortable, but don't make your breasts disappear. I'm sure other companies have something similar. Your feelings are valid, and seem tricky to navigate. Good luck!

[@BlackLabsLikeRuleDog]

Random fact, they make "push up" sports bras!! Same comfort but your boobs aren't pressed to your chest and there's extra foam in there to make yourself look bustier. 🤣

[@NotAVampyre]

Interesting. Never knew that!

[@oooh19]

sadly women are judged and shamed for how we look also the whole Roe vs Wade case as well shows how women are viewed!

[@lynnebass2495]

I didn’t realize I was Genderqueer until after highschool, I still “present” very feminine at times but what people dont get is that no matter how you look its how you feel. Im not a girl but that doesn’t mean I dont like dresses or makeup

[@lynnebass2495]

Also the fun puberty time where I suffered from internalized homophobia even though I had attraction to basically anyone since kindergarten.

[@NotAVampyre]

Sound like we're in a similar boat. I may not be a girl, but you'll have to rip my goth dresses out of my frozen dead hands before I give them up lol. Glad to hear from someone else lile me. And yeah, internalized homophobia can really wreck you for years before you even realize it's there. that's part of why we can't just wait to tell kids that gay people and other gender identities are okay "when they're old enough". It causes a world of hate either from others or themselves that has a lasting impression.

[@lynnebass2495]

NotAVampyre The only reason I figured out I wasn’t straight is because I kept falling in love and getting obsessed with my best friends 😂 Luckily Im come far from that and can have healthy relationships. But fun fact I did find my current best friend on a hookup app while we were both in relationships (we were in open relationships at the time) and somehow became best friends and never hooked up lol

[@NotAVampyre]

Nice!!

[@helenkaschtalinski8105]

I can really relate to what you're feeling about your gender identity and it feels comforting to hear that:)

[@NotAVampyre]

I'm glad to hear that!

[@martelraykin]

I know it's not the main subject of the video but when you talked about asexuality and how you discovered it late... I had the same thing before I learned what demisexuality was. I was (and still am) really, really uncomfortable with anything related to sex and the mere idea of somebody touching me seemed disgusting. I used to describe myself as pornophobic for a long time considering how much I wanted to avoid the subject, the thought and the fact itself. I had those truth or dare games were people asked me about sexual fantasies and all I could answer was "I don't have any of those". And yet when I'm dating someone I feel attraction, and any fear or disgust I have the rest of the time just disappears when they're concerned, and I have actual fantasies about them. It was even weirder to me considering the fact that I wasn't bothered by it as long as I was not the target (characters, other peoples, etc). Discovering what demisexuality was kind of felt like freedom, because I realized I didn't have an actual phobia, and that I wasn't the only one. I was 21, and I spent all of highschool and first years of university wondering why I was not attracted to anyone, except a few really, really close friends or my boyfriend. Labels can make you feel "normal", no matter if they're not society norms. Anyway, I don't know if I was actually trying to say something or just wanted to share what my thought were when I heard you say that you don't always have the words in high school or even after that. I'm just gonna stop there x)

[@Thesharktemptress]

Your description of gender nihilism and how you feel is something that really resonates with me. I've been going back and forth about my gender identity in the last year, wondering if my gender nihilism is the result of actually behind NB, or just having my close friend group composed of mostly NB people. The imposter syndrome is real, and it's something I haven't even really discussed much with my NB friends on the basis of "What if they think I'm just trying to appropriate their experiences." I don't experience any sort of dysphoria, but I don't really care about gender. I know I'm not a guy 100% but I don't wholly subscribe to the idea of being "woman" either. Thank you for this video. There's a lot to think about.

[@NotAVampyre]

I'm glad it helps! I definitely was in the same boat for a long time and had a few conversations with people about those exact fears. Being terrified of being a "trender" or "not a real trans". But, as I've come to understand, you don't meed dysphoria to be trans or "not cis". And, you are the expert on what you experience, so you are the final judge on if you feel you have a gender or no. Good luck!

[@eeveepacini]

This is a great explanation! Thanks for the vid ❤️

[@NotAVampyre]

Certainly

[@b.radleypro.369]

I was born female and see myself female, yet as an actress I like playing certain male roles, and I prefer jeans over skirts and sometimes i like having long hair because people say It’s suits me better yet shorter hair is easier to manage, and I don’t like wearing makeup unless for special occasions, I’ve always been attracted to guys but I love big breast and I’ll kiss a woman but I’m not gay, I guess I would call myself bi curious, I’ll try to see if I like it if not then it wasn’t for me.

[@hollytobin6036]

I relate to so much of this. Thank you.

[@NotAVampyre]

Certainly!!

[@Busy-r6d]

Unpopular opinion; not wanting to be seen as a male or female and being equally accepted as both isn’t a gender issue but rather an individual that detests labels and social group types, so it’s oddly IMO hypocritical to wish to be placed in a category separate from both that in fact wishes to be viewed as both. With Yeal; it was understandable to wish to figure out ones self but all those around them needed to adapt, accept and obey this without wavering from what they asked; regardless if this even went against or had others waver from their own.

[@NotAVampyre]

What do you base that opinion on though? As someone who does identify as agender, I find labels very helpful to tldr myself on first meeting, but still do not want people to see me as a boy or girl when I tell them I'm agender because my gender is neither

[@EmergentSea]

Sometimes it just feels like Yael doesn't like being treated like a girl because Yael wants to be one of the guys. Because when Yael wears a push up bra Yael gets sexualized. Because when Yael doesn't shave Yael is being shamed for it. Because Yael likes video games and not makeup which is perceived as something that's not feminine. I don't want my gender to dictate what I can and cannot do, who I can and cannot be. It's okay to be a boy and like makeup. It's okay to be a girl and like mechanics. I don't feel like a girl, I know I'm a girl because my female body doesn't feel wrong.

[@NotAVampyre]

Yael wants to be one of the guys, but not in the way like Adam. Yael doesn't want to be or see themself as a guy. But Yael doesn't see themself as a girl, and it tookbeing treated like a girl for them to realize it. That they only saw themself as Yael, and calling them a girl or boy was wrong.

[@EmergentSea]

@@NotAVampyre What I was implying was that it feels like Yael doesn't want to be perceived as a girl because Yael doesn't want to be treated like one. It says more about the way girls are being treated by boys than about Yael's identity to me. It shows how differently people are being treated depending on their gender, and I wish everyone could be treated the same. But that's just my opinion obviously.

[@NotAVampyre]

Yeah, still think that's a misreading of the situation considering there's more to it than being treated like a girl being a problem. There's a difference between not wanting to be treated as sexually appealing to your guy friends and feeling immense joy from looking like you don't have a chest.

[@NotAVampyre]

I can tell you've not talked to neither grown women or nonbinary people if you think gender uphoria from binders comes only from sexual shame. If you spend 5 seconds in nonbinary spaces, you'll see a wide array of people who don't and do want chests for various reasons. How people feel about their bodies can go so much more deeper than "how others see me". It's about how you feel about the reflection of your body in the mirror when you're alone. I am still banning you because you are calling those assigned female at birth girls even though they're non binary.

[@EmergentSea]

@@NotAVampyre I am a grown woman and I didn't mean to disrespect anyone or imply the only reason someone would want to bind their chest is because of sexual shame. I am sorry for the way i phrased it. I was sharing how frustrated it was to me how the storyline was writen. I know personnaly for exemple i don't shave bc I don't mind my body hair and the only time we see an AFAB character who doesn't shave it somehow feels like the show implies it's because they're non binary. Or that the reason why an AFAB person would not be ok with being sexualized is bc they're not a woman/girl. I'm not saying Yael is a girl, just that they're perceived as such and that the way it was written made me feel weird about the implications for AFAB people in general. Once again i'm sorry for pushing my own frustrations in my comments.

[@stevonniewolf2951]

I'm going to say it. I'm bigender. I'm both male and female on the inside. I'm AMAB.

[@NotAVampyre]

Cool!

[@ashlee895]

I don't even remember her character

[@NotAVampyre]

*their character

[@PGOuma]

I feel like an android or machine that breaks down every now and then compared to feeling like a human. If that makes any sense lol

[@julga-me]

I loved your video! Is Yael a character from a series? Can anyone tell me the name of it (and maybe where to watch it hihi)?

[@NotAVampyre]

Thanks! Yael is a character from Degrassi Next Class, which is a subest of the Degrassi franchise. You can find Degrassi Next Class on Netflix, but if you want a ton of of other seasond to watch, you can find the rest of thr show on the official Degrassi KZbin channel

[@julga-me]

@@NotAVampyre thanks❤❤❤❤❤

[@bestabothworldz2766]

​@@julga-me it's from Degrassi. They are in Next Class... I am currently watching Next Gen but have seen next class

[@HaleyNicole11]

The Yael gender fluid (I think that’s what they called it) storyline was really hard for me to understand. I really wanted to understand it better because I hate being ignorant knowing that people really feel this way. I don’t see why people have such an issue with it, but great video as always. 🥰

[@lisah8438]

Because it relies on gender stereotypes. Not all girls like nail polish or make up and not all boys like boys stuff. Even if we are not stereotypical boys or girls that should not or does not make us non-binary. There is more to being a girl or a woman then wearing dresses and skirts, and make-up. I'm sorry I would respect what others may want to be called but I am not going to preach this non-binary gender thing like it's a fact. Because it is not. It's an opinion made by people who are having a identity crisis

[@HaleyNicole11]

Lisa H I respect your opinion. I totally identify as female and I love everything girly, so another reason why I can’t really understand this. I’m mostly just confused about it, so you could be right. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@lisah8438]

@@HaleyNicole11 Thanks for understanding. I am not saying people being non-binary isn't real. It could be. But I think people are simplifying it. They are acting like it's some kind of choice because of the way they feel but it could be much more than that. Almost like it's a choice instead of something like transgender. It's just the way people are describing it.

[@HaleyNicole11]

Lisa H Yeah, I totally get what you’re saying. Like you can’t just decide you’re transgender for instance. And just because you’re not girly doesn’t mean you’re not a girl. Yeah, I see what you mean and I agree with that. Transgender is easy for me to understand though.

[@NotAVampyre]

@Lisa H but you are literally saying it isn't real by statements like "I am not going to preach this non-binary gender thing like it's a fact. Because it is not. It's an opinion made by people who are having a identity crisis" What of my description makes being nonbinary sound like I'm simpligying it down to a choice or that I'm looking for "trans lite"? I'd like to help you understand if possible, because I know gender as I understand it is more than just prefering dresses or pants for instance. Again, as someone who like both, it's not my manner of dress that has me questioning. It's how I feel inside and see myself and my gender identity. I'm told many people feel it inside what they are, and I don't have such experiences.

[@Selene_persefone]

Im a woman who also happens to be transfemenine right? but i dont wear dresses heels earings or yoga pants skirts or pantyhose(?), i do my make up and nails tho, and im 100% sure im a woman. the think is identity its not about fashion. you know what i mean?

[@NotAVampyre]

Of course it's not, but pary of your identity expression is dressing like who you truly are. Not as the person someone else tells you to be. Of course identity is more than how you look, but to most of us it's still a major part.

[@Selene_persefone]

@@NotAVampyre Im sorry but i have to disagree, for example, in the gothic subculture you can dress however you want and still u can sell identifies as goth, here its the same, if you dont have money , you dress whatever you can and you dont loose your identity. And another example its someone that it's an ex (maybe) of mine, she used to dress like men, her haircut was manly, and her attitude, and how she treated me was like men at the point that was hard for me no to think about her as a men, the point it's that she self identies as a woman. And used to happen a lot actually, before being trans was mainstream, that people was cis and used to dress whatever they want. Im not saying you cant be transgendered or non binary however you wanna call it, Im just saying that cloth cant be the main reason that define your gender. because clothes has no gender actually. M sorry

[@Selene_persefone]

Ok forget what i said bc i was thinking that i do consider crossdressers as part of the Trans community and they only do it bc just for the clothes and i dont know if transvestite people or tomboys do have gender expresion disphoria or whatever reason they have but i do also consider them as part. Actually i dont know because if you really need only to change clothes to be trans we are no longer a minority because lots of cis women use mens clothes as a fashion or because its their boyfriend clothes

[@NotAVampyre]

@@Selene_persefone Actually, cis people still can't dress however they want. Hell, most people can't because clothes are still gendered. Yes, women have successfully fought to wear pants and other traditionally male clothing to where you're just a boyish girl if you wear stuff out of the men's section (according to society), but men are still tormented if they try to wear skirts or makeup. Look at how most people make fun of kilts in the US. It's seen as too fem and those who wear skirts are either Scottish or "not real men". And if being trans was just about clothes, no one would medically transition. But both nonbinary and binary trans people often choose to take hormones to transition their bodies to fit their gender. Telling a trans man to just put on boxers instead of panties doesn't work. Dysphoria goes beyond clothes and hair. I really recommend you talk to trans folks about this. It's hard to understand initially, but is very worth the effort.

[@Selene_persefone]

​@@NotAVampyre Im trans i transitioned. what i dont get its NB ppl being only trans when you can be trans and cis and not conform the binary standards and/or gender expectations. And why there is a diferentiation between binary and not binary, neither won't change your escence, tomorrow i might look as a men, being trans feminine or a womn under mi clothes and still ill be a trans girl

[@howtoaca7504]

Thank you for the great video!🙂❤

[@NotAVampyre]

Thank you!! I'm glad you liked it

[@SkyeID]

The only problem for me (besides Yael's crap friend group) was that they didn't hire a nonbinary teenager to play the part. Did they not get someone nonbinary because they didn't know until after the show went into production that Yael would come out as nonbinary?

[@NotAVampyre]

I wouldn't be surprised if they just didn't know that was the direction the character would take.

[@itz_jaeden504]

What episode is this?

[@NotAVampyre]

Which part? I take clips from multiple seasons, primarily from season 4 of Next Class as that's when Yael discovers they're non binary. The thumbnail pic is from the 1st ep of season 4.

[@victorhiggins9636]

I'm still confused on what non-binary means I kind of Wikipedia but then I remembered everything Wikipedia says is bull crap

[@nakymsingh2428]

hi NotAVampyre can do one about Riley sexuality

[@NotAVampyre]

I'd have to find an interesting angle on him because right now all I can think of doing is recounting his journey. I did talk about Riley a lot in this video where I explore if Zane was a bad boyfriend though! kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5zFk2iDjZKalc0

[@drethethinker6418]

biological gender/sex and cultural gender are different. Cultural gender is simply the stereotypes and cultural identity created and given to members of specific biological sexes. If gender is this cultural phenomenon it seems silly to me to think that anyone is inherently one gender or another. It makes sense to simply say these things are preferences and extensions of our personalities and psychological self. Absolutely nothing wrong with rejecting societal notions about gender and how we should "do" gender, but there are other things like seeking specific pronouns that seem all too arbitrary. I will definitely call someone by their preferred pronoun, but I feel like if misgendering causes someone psychological pain...then there is a deeper issue to be discussed.

[@davorhenry6961]

God watching this wondering wtf he created

[@NotAVampyre]

God made us in His own image, so I doubt it

[@brisjapaneseboyfriendyaoib5361]

Hunter is so handsome 😊💓

[@thelegend8153]

More or less out of left field...that's how

[@NotAVampyre]

I mean not really. Not in a way that's unrealistic

[@thelegend8153]

@@NotAVampyre true, but I do believe it could've been done a lot better. I still believe creating/introducing a new character is the better way to create the diversity

[@NotAVampyre]

Why though? I mean, why is having a new character better than a person learning about themself?

[@thelegend8153]

@@NotAVampyre I'm. Ot talking about yael specifically in this case, but it's better in terms of a writing standpoint you have full range without have to compromise anything about a character

[@NotAVampyre]

I'm still not sure I can agree because not all characters have something to be compromised, and some that do can have that used for drama and exploration. Characters like Paige, Miles, and Yael who all had to figure out what seemingly out of left field developments mean for them. Just writing new characters to have always been one identity or another assumes people always knew who/ what they are, which simply isn't true. We're not all like Marco who knew early on he wasn't straight. Many of us exist as cis straight people, not noticing the hints until they suddenly wallop us in the face.

[@mtaimry]

basically i love your videos and the way you talk and you go girl on-binary\a gender

[@NotAVampyre]

Thanks! Calling me a "whatever" is fine. I think it'd be funny if it caught on and I was known as a whatever

[@mtaimry]

NotAVampyre Sounds like a legitimate gender to me!

[@gingerbreadfaerie]

Its okay to be a to be a woman who likes non feminine things, you dont have to label yourself as a letter and refer to yourself as ''they/them'' for it

[@NotAVampyre]

Why do you assume that's the problem? Why do you think that I and Yael don't call ourselves women just because we like non femme things?

[@skylarmercykilled1986]

I'm agender too! Also more fem presenting and use fem pronouns.

[@NotAVampyre]

Nice!!

[@CutterHistorical]

The only issue with this plot was trying to follow along

[@NotAVampyre]

How so?

[@kingoflowendpaintball1040]

you know you can be a girl and be masculine right?

[@NotAVampyre]

Yeah, and no one is saying otherwise. It's not that Yael and I feel like we can't be girls because we're masculine. It's something deeper than just how we look or act.

[@Sh00k.mp3]

Cringe

[@NotAVampyre]

To exist, one must be cringe.